Improvement in printing-presses



J.T.R0BERTS0N.

PRINTING PRESS'.

N611 13,346, .Panama A131254, 1871.

'wf/msml UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIoE.

JUDAH TOURO ROBERTSON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN PRINTING-PRESSES.

Spcciiication forming part of Letters Patent No. 113,346, datedApriJ 4, '1S71.

l l', J UDAH ToURo ROBERTSON, of N ew York,

Nature and Objects 'of thc Invention.

In the ordinary process of printing from steel or copperplates, to which the invention chieti y relates, the plate has to be inked and Vwiped or cleaned and polished previous tothe .reception of the paper on which the lmpressionl is to be made. In addition, the press has to wait while the paper is being placed on the plate, andv also while it is being removed.

The oierationof n-intin r therefore'occuiies f-but aslnall portion of the whole time, and

durin 'the remainder the )ress with its ao- A cessories of blankets and inking apparatus and part of the attendants, are lying idle.

rlhe obj ectof 1n y invention is to keep the printing apparatus continually employed; and to accomplish this object it consists in employing a series of plates in connection with the printing-rollers in such a manner that they may be successively and continuously printed from,

and cach impressionremoved, and the plate inked and cleaned, and again supplied with paper before it is in turn again presented to the printin g-rollers.

In carrying the invention into effect the plates are disposed radially on the surface of a circular table, which is suiiiciently solid to form the bed for their-reception.

The printing-rollers are of the form known as D -rollers, 7? an d they may be arranged either radiallyT or tangentially with reference to the table. i

'lhe motion of the table and plate, when grasped by the rollers for the purpose of taking the impression, must be a rectilinear one, to avoid distortion of the paper and to preserve the uniformity of the pressure and action.

When the plate and 'table have been re-l leased by the rota-tion of the rollers reaching the requisite position the table returnslfrom between the rollers, and at the same time makes a portion ofa revolution on its axis, so that when it again moves forward between the rollersthe adjacent segment and plate are subjected to the pressure for printing. i

Description of the Drawing.

To enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains lto makeand usemy invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation withreference to the drawing.

Figure l` represents a side elevation of the machine with one of the frames removed and partially in section, and Fig. 2 is a plan of the' same.

rIhe circular table a has the plates b arranged radially onits upper surface. It may be supplied with steam-pipes or furnished with lamps or other means for' heating the plates, if required.

rlhe carriage c' supports and carries the table, and is caused to traverse to and fro on the wheels d by means of the connecting-rod e and the crank-pin j' on the wheel g, driven by the pinion on the power-shaft lz., which may be 'operated by abelt or clutch, or in any other convenient manner.

The crank motion from the powershaft carries the table backward and forward, and the partial rotatory-motion of the table, when it is being movcdback with the carriage, is obtained-by the pawl t' catching the ratchets of the wheel 7c on the shaft l of the table.

lhcrpawl t' is mounted on an arm centered to the shaft lof the table, and sliding onv a stationary pin in the manner shown, so that its motion and position may be readily adjusted to give the required angular motion ofthe table as the latter is being backed out from between the rollers.

The elastic friction bumper or pad m is adjusted to receive the wheel k just before it reaches the limit of its backward motion, to prevent any excess of the circular motion in consequence of the speed and weight of theJ table.

The same end might be attained by means of an additional pawl and ratchet, arranged-v in such a manner that they 'would not intel'- fere with the turning of the table when reA quired. Y

The printing-rollers a are mounted in the usual way, with the exception that the upperv roller is suspended to the screws by a key or surfaces of the table, is insured by their counection by means of cranks and the rods o on each side to the pair of geared wheels p.

The cranks at the opposite ends may be set at right angles to avoid dead-centers, and the motion of one roller in connection with the gearing must also be accompanied by a similar motion of the other..

It will be observed that the only .motion of the rollers, so far as has been described, is derived from the motion of'the'table between them. There are two other slight motions given them, however, by the motion of the machine-one when the printing has been completed by the adjustable catch q onI the wheel g striking the pin 1 on the wheel p, for the purpose of moving the rollers into the position shown in the drawing, so that they may be entirely clear of the table and plate, and the other when the table is about to again enterbetwe'en the rollers, when the adjustable catch s strikes the pin t, to get the rollers into motion and in readiness to bind upon the table and plate when presented.

l As the machine moves from the position shown in the drawing, the revolution of the Wheel g carries the table from between the rollers, and the pawl causes it to turn one-lifth of a revolution before it gets to the end of its motion, and to compressthe elastic bumper on the completion of onehalf a revolution of the wheel g. The continued rotation of the wheel g causes the catch s to strike the pin t to start and adjust the rollers, draws the table forward between the rollers to take the impression, and at the end of the printing the catch q strikes the pin r and adjusts the rollers for the release of the table when it has reached y its most forward position, as shown.

The motion of the machine would be similar, and the principles of its operation the same, if the printing-rollers were set in a line with the radius of the table instead of at right angles, -as herein described.

Claims.

I claim as my invention- 1. A table carrying `a series of plates and traversing between the rollers with an alternate'rectilinear motion and a compound vmotion, for the purpose of presenting the plates in succession to the rollers, substantially as described.

2. The pawl i, mounted on avibrating lever, sliding over an adjustable stationary point, substantially as described.

JUDAH TOURO RBERTSON.

Witnesses; v

BENJ; G. RUSSELL, WM. KEMBLE HALL. 

